


logs on the fire (fill me with desire)

by takemehome21



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Friends to Lovers, New Year's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-08 03:29:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5481737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/takemehome21/pseuds/takemehome21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"yes i booby trapped the present because you do this every fucking year"</p>
            </blockquote>





	logs on the fire (fill me with desire)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [binlar_lover](https://archiveofourown.org/users/binlar_lover/gifts).



> this gift is for Luiza, binlar-lover on tumblr!  
> sorry if there are any mistakes, I didn't proofread this  
> and the title is from merry christmas, darling by the carpenters because it's so beautiful

Bellamy has known Clarke since she shoved her way into his life when they were kids – literally. When he was 12 and she was seven she pushed a boy to the ground after he made fun of Octavia and before Bellamy could get there and rough him up himself.

“O!” Bellamy shouts as he runs over to his sister.

Tears are rapidly falling down her face and Bellamy kneels in front of her.

“Hey, it’s okay. Can you tell me what happened?” He asks, hands cupping her face and wiping away the tears as the fall.

“He – he was saying mean stuff about mom,” Octavia says in between sniffles.

Bellamy’s blood turns hot. He whips his head around, desperately searching for the seven year old he’s going to have to scold.

“Who is he? What’s his name?” Bellamy demands, focusing back on Octavia.

She opens her mouth to respond but then her gaze shifts to something behind him. Bellamy turns his head around, hoping it’s the little shit that hurt his sister.

“Are you okay?” Asks a girl around Octavia’s age with her blonde hair in pigtails.

“I’m okay. Thank you for standing up for me,” Octavia says and gives the girl a small smile.

Bellamy’s brows furrow as he takes in the girl interacting with Octavia. He glances between the two, both smiling shyly at each other.

“He deserved to be pushed. John is a doo-doo head,” replies the girl.

That gets a giggle out of Octavia and the sound brings a smile to Bellamy’s face. The girl walks towards Octavia and wraps her arms around her despite Bellamy’s hands still being on Octavia’s face.

When she pulls away she says, “I’m Clarke.”

“Hi, I’m Octavia.”

Ever since that moment Clarke and Octavia have been inseparable and major pains in his ass.

* * *

Clarke spends almost every afternoon at the Blake’s house. She likes to tell Bellamy and Aurora that it’s because her parents don’t get home from work until the evening but Bellamy suspects something more. He learned from Octavia that Clarke is an only child so his theory is that she likes having someone her age she can talk to every day.

“If I’m going to make you snacks I better see the TV off and pencils on paper!” Bellamy says as he peeks his head into the living room.

Octavia and Clarke are on their stomachs in front of the TV, school books still in their backpacks.

“But, Bell!” Octavia whines, eyes leaving the TV for a second before they’re glued to the screen again.

“Hey, I don’t have to feed you. I could just let you starve but if I’m going to cook then you guys are going to do your homework.”

Clarke sighs and sits up, turning her head to look at him. Even at 10 years old her glare is frightening and it pisses Bellamy off because he’s fifteen and fifteen-year-olds should not be scared of ten year olds.

“Don’t be such an ass, Bellamy,” Clarke says monotonously.

Bellamy’s jaw drops. Were ten year olds allowed to swear?

“Princess with a potty mouth,” he tsks. “Where’d you learn that?”

“From Octavia, of course,” she says with a smug grin that someone her age should not be able to pull off.

Bellamy’s once neutral gaze turns to Octavia and becomes a glare.

“I learned it from you!” Octavia exclaims and then pouts at his expression.

“O, what have I said about repeating those words in front of people?”

“Chill, Bell,” Octavia responds, finally sitting up and turning off the TV. “I only say it in front of Clarke but she’s practically family so it’s fine.”

Bellamy’s eyes land on Clarke and she’s giving Octavia the brightest, goofiest grin and he can’t be mad anymore.

“Fine, but I’m serious about doing your homework.”

“You always are,” Octavia shoots back.

Bellamy smiles and turns back to the kitchen, thinking of what he could possibly make for them seeing as they have barely anything in the fridge. He opens the pantry to see if he can find anything in there when he feels a small hand grab his.

He turns to find Octavia standing behind him.

“Bell,” she starts but isn’t able to get the rest out.

Bellamy lowers himself and sits on his heels to be at her level.

“What’s up?” He asks, hand reaching out to smooth over the braid Clarke did for her.

“Can Clarke come over on Christmas? I know it’s only a few weeks away and this is short notice but she said she has a present for me and yeah,” she trails off, smiling shyly at him.

Bellamy’s heart actually aches. He doesn’t even know if they’re going to have enough money to buy a tree or presents for their own family let alone one for Clarke.

“That sounds nice,” Bellamy says with a smile. “But you know it’s not up to me, O. You have to ask mom, okay?”

Octavia’s face drops.

“You’re around more than she is. You’re practically my mom, can’t you just decided?”

Sometimes Bellamy honestly hates his mother. His smile is forced now as he thinks of how much this must be hurting Octavia. He glances towards the living room and sees Clarke’s head turned away from them and she’s writing something in her notebook. As much as she annoys him, he’s thankful that she at least has some manners.  
Bellamy leans forward to kiss Octavia’s forehead and puts his hand on her shoulder. Her hand comes up and grips his.

“Listen, O,” he says, pulling back so he can look at her. “I can’t make the final decision but I’m saying yes right now. And if mom says no, I’ll annoy her until she says yes, okay?”  
Octavia’s face lights up and she jumps onto Bellamy, hugging him as tight as she can. Bellamy laughs and hugs her back, making sure to squeeze her without actually hurting her.

“Thank you, Bell. I’m so excited,” she whispers into his ear.

He smiles and brings his hand to the back of her head. Over Octavia’s shoulder he can see the side of Clarke’s face all the way in the living room. He’s pretty sure her lips are upturned as she stares at her notebook, pencil not actually moving on the page. Maybe she wasn’t such a brat after all.

* * *

Bellamy takes it back. Clarke is the biggest brat he’s ever known.

In the week leading up to Christmas Bellamy catches Clarke trying to sneak a peek at her present three times. He had gone with Octavia to the store last weekend and they spent hours there trying to find the perfect gift for Clarke. Bellamy thought the whole thing was pointless seeing as Clarke’s parents were rich therefore she has everything she could ever want. But Octavia was having none of it and dragged him to store after store all day. He wasted almost five hours looking for her present and he’ll be damned if she sees it before Christmas.

“Tsk, tsk, Clarke. I think that right there is enough to get you put on the naughty list,” Bellamy says from the doorway to the living room.

Clarke is lying on her stomach under the tree trying to lift the edges of the wrapping paper. When he speaks she jerks back so hard she almost knocks the tree over. Bellamy can’t help but laugh at the spooked look on her face that turns solemn after she realizes what just happened.

“Don’t you know you’re supposed to wait until Christmas to open your gifts?” He says with a smug grin plastered on his face.

“But it’s so far away!” She says sadly, rushing over to stand in front of him.

“One week isn’t a long time, Princess,” Bellamy responds, clearly exasperated with her and the mindset of kids in general.

“Please, Bellamy! I’ve been waiting for a whole week and if I don’t see it now I’ll have to wait another week to find out what it is,” she whines. “I’ve been good. I brush my teeth before bed every night and I do my homework almost always immediately after school and I –”

“Clarke,” he interrupts. “Octavia spent a lot of time picking out your gift and I spent a lot of money on it. I don’t think O would appreciate you ruining the surprise.”

She looks down at her Christmas themed socks with a frown. Bellamy feels somewhat bad that he’s making her upset but then again, she’s got to learn somehow.

“How would you feel if O snuck under your tree and tried to open the present you picked out for her before it was Christmas?”

That seems to hit home and Clarke looks up at him with tears in her eyes. Bellamy can’t stomach watching her cry so he looks over her head at the Christmas tree. He hears her sniffle and then a sudden force hits him in the stomach.

“I’m so sorry Bellamy,” Clarke says, voice muffled by his shirt.

She buries her face in his torso, little arms too short to completely wrap around him in a hug. He brings one of his hands to the back of her head, smoothing down her hairs like he does with Octavia. His other hand rests on her back and she squeezes him as hard as she can.

“I don’t want to hurt Octavia,” she whispers. “She’s my only friend.”

Bellamy’s heart breaks a little and he thinks that maybe she isn’t as terrible as he thought she was.

Hoping to cheer her up, Bellamy says, “She’s not your only friend.”

Clarke looks up at him confused. Her eyes are red but the tears have stopped, thank God.

“I’m your friend too,” he clarifies with a smile. “But if you try to open your gift early again I’ll be forced to tickle you forever.”

She removes her arms from around him at that. Then she lifts her chin in the air and squares her shoulders. If Bellamy wasn’t so confused as to where her sudden confidence came from he would be laughing at the haughtiness.

“Yeah, well, I’d tickle you back forever,” she says with a nod. “So, there!”

Bellamy shakes his head. His lack of response makes Clarke feel as if she’s won this battle of wits if her smug smile is anything to go by.

“You’re such a brat,” he says with another shake of his head.

“You’re a nerd,” she responds and skips away as if she wasn’t just crying a minute ago.

Despite her promises he catches her three days later trying to sneak a peek again. And then he finds her snooping around the tree again on Christmas Eve.

 _At least she had the decency to wait a few days before trying again_ , Bellamy thinks. Little victories.

* * *

Bellamy is twenty when his mom dies.

And by some miracle he manages to get custody of Octavia and his mom had somehow paid off the mortgage on their house before she passed away. It won’t be easy trying to support himself and a fifteen year old with the money he makes working three part time jobs.

He never went to university, his mom telling him years in advance that she wouldn’t have the money to send him or Octavia to school. He’s okay with it, really. There’s a pretty big library in town so he can read pretty much any book he wants and the internet is a great tool for learning. So he doesn’t really need to take courses to be educated.  
But he wants Octavia to be able to go to university and get her undergrad then her masters and then her PhD if that’s what she wants. He wants her to have everything he couldn’t when he was growing up. So, throughout high school he worked part time jobs in between school, homework and watching Octavia and Clarke. That trend continued after he graduated high school with him ending up working three jobs at once for two years and putting it all in the bank for Octavia.

Despite being a workhorse for the past two years, running a household all on his own still eats a lot of his money. He hates not being able to give Octavia a birthday party, an actual thanksgiving dinner and now any semblance of Christmas.

It’s the first day of December and Bellamy was looking over their financials after he paid all the bills for the month of November. He comes to the conclusion that they won’t be able to afford a tree or nice gifts. He’ll probably have to go to the dollar store to get gifts, _pathetic_ , he thinks.

Octavia comes bounding down the stairs and sees him sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hands. She walks behind him and ruffles his curls before placing a kiss on the top of his head.

“Cheer up, Bell. It’s Christmas, nobody is allowed to be sad on Christmas.”

Bellamy lifts his head and sighs before turning and looking up at her.

“Listen, O. We’ve never had a ton of money, you know that. But this year we have even less,” he says, pressing his lips into a thin line.

“Yeah, this isn’t new information. I know it’s been tough for you and as soon as I turn sixteen I’m getting a job to help you out,” Octavia says with a shrug.

“O,” he says with a tilt of his head. “You don’t need to do that.”

“I want to. It’s not your fault mom died and that everything is expensive.”

They stare at each other for moment. Octavia raises her eyebrows, challenging Bellamy to disagree with her. Bellamy lets out another sigh. That seems to be all he does lately.

“What I was trying to say is that we don’t have money to spend on a Christmas tree or nice gifts this year. I’m so sorry. I promise next year will be better and I’ll be able to get you what you want for Christmas, okay?”

He looks at her and hopes she can see just how much he hates telling her this. This isn’t what he wanted for Octavia but it’s necessary to help keep them afloat.

“I don’t care about gifts or some tree in the living room. The only thing that matters is that I get to spend every day with my big brother instead of being in foster care,” she says sincerely.

Bellamy smiles slightly and then Octavia bursts out laughing.

“That was so cheesy I’m about to puke,” she gets out in between laughs.

He laughs as well, happy that Octavia is laughing again.

“Yeah, it was a bit much. Take it down a notch, okay?” He responds with a smirk.

She pinches his arm and walks to the fridge to get a drink.

“Can you drive me to Clarke’s house?” Octavia says after she chugs juice straight from the bottle.

“Right now?” He asks and Octavia nods. “Okay, get your coat and your gloves and your scarf and your hat. We can’t afford sickness.”

She sticks her tongue out at him but does what he says anyways. Bellamy does the same, layering on winter gear even though it hasn’t snowed yet. They get into their mom’s beat up car and Bellamy starts driving to Clarke’s house, knowing the way by heart.

“You should come in with me,” Octavia says when they’re five minutes away.

“Huh?”

“You shouldn’t just drop me off and leave. Come inside and hang out with us,” she says like he’s an idiot.

“And why would I do that?” He asks, not really wanting to spend the afternoon with two fifteen year olds.

“Because you’ll get free food and you get to spend more time with me and Clarke,” Octavia says.

Bellamy’s grip on the steering wheel tightens. He doesn’t want his sister to think that he can’t even afford to feed himself. Sure, they’re poor but they’re not that poor. He doesn’t want her taking handouts from Clarke either.

“I have to work tonight,” he says instead of what is really on his mind.

“Yeah but that’s after the sun goes down. It’s not even one yet. Stop being a hermit and hang out with your sister and your friend!”

“She’s not my friend. She’s your friend who likes to practically live at our house even though she’s got a perfectly good home of her own,” Bellamy shoots back angrily.

“Wow, tell me how you really feel,” Octavia drones. “Just come with me. I miss you, you’re always working so much. Plus me and Clarke haven’t heckled you in a while so it’ll be fun.”

Bellamy pulls into Clarke’s driveway. Her house still manages to astound him even though he’s been seeing it for five years now. They already have Christmas lights up and wreath on their door. Bellamy hates that it makes him jealous.

“Fine, I’ll come in. But I’m taking one of her books to read while you guys do whatever teenage girls do together,” he says once he put the car in park and turns it off.

“Oh you know, paint our nails, braid each other’s hair, make out. Typical girl stuff,” she says with a smirk that looks too similar to his.

“Make sure you’ve got lip balm on. Dry lips don’t make for good kissing,” Bellamy remarks while getting out of the car.

“You would know,” she retorts.

Bellamy chuckles but doesn’t respond as they walk up to Clarke’s front door. Octavia presses the doorbell twice because she can never do anything like everybody else. Clarke opens the door not even five seconds later as if she was sitting by the door waiting.

“Finally,” Clarke huffs out with a smile.

Then her eyes move to where he’s standing behind Octavia.

“Oh, Bellamy. Hi,” she says, reaching a hand up to tuck a curl behind her ear. “Why are you here?”

He knows she doesn’t mean it in a rude way but he’s an asshole so.

“Well my mom decided to have unprotected sex with an idiot,” he deadpans.

He smirks when her expression turns sour. Pissing off a teenager really shouldn’t bring him as much pleasure as it does but, oh well.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” she responds with a shake of her head.

“I made him come because he has no friends besides us,” Octavia says before Bellamy can respond to Clarke.

“Two fifteen year olds are your only friends? And one of them is your sister. That’s pretty pathetic, Bellamy,” Clarke says before bursting into giggles with Octavia.

“It’s cold. Clarke, are you going to invite us in or are you guys going to spend the whole afternoon making fun of me on the porch?”

Bellamy crosses his arms over his chest and stares at them until they stop laughing.

“Stop being such a downer, Bell,” Octavia says.

Clarke moves out of the door way, making room for them to walk in. Bellamy slips off his shoes and takes off his outerwear. He’s never actually been in Clarke’s house before. He’s seen the outside millions of times when he would drop off Octavia but the outside is nothing compared to the inside. Something pinches his arm and he looks over to see Clarke standing beside him with a hanger in her hand.

“Give me your damn jacket already,” she says, clearly irritated.

“Relax,” Bellamy says but hands it over anyways.

“I asked you three times but you obviously you weren’t listening.”

Clarke hangs up his and Octavia’s stuff and then they walk through the house to the living room. There’s a huge Christmas tree in the corner of the room even though it’s only the first of December.

“Guess who already has a present under the tree,” Clarke says, nudging Octavia with her elbow.

“Better be me. I should be first on everybody’s list,” Octavia responds, both of them going over to the tree while Bellamy plops down on the couch.

They have to tell Clarke that she’s not getting anything in return but he’s so embarrassed. Hopefully Octavia will tell her when he’s not around so he doesn’t have to deal with her pity.

“Obviously,” Clarke scoffs. “There’s one for you too, Bellamy.”

She looks over her shoulder at him and he can barely manage a smile. Bellamy nods at Clarke and her eyebrows furrow, confused at his lack of reaction.  
Clarke and Octavia come and sit on the couch with him. Octavia lays her head on Clarke’s lap and her feet on Bellamy’s. He tickles one foot and Octavia squirms.

“Stop taking up the whole couch, O. This isn’t your house,” Bellamy says lowly, giving her a stern look.

“It’s okay,” Clarke says. “I don’t mind. The house is usually so empty, it’s nice to have someone here to fill it up.”

Bellamy stares at Clarke for a minute, only know realizing that her parents aren’t home. It’s the weekend, parents are supposed to be home on the weekends. Clarke turns her gaze to him and smiles sadly. Bellamy nods, knowing all too well how it feels to be alone without parents.

“So, what are we watching?” Bellamy asks, tilting his head towards the TV.

“Something you’ll hate,” Octavia pipes in with a look on her face that honestly scares Bellamy.

Clarke laughs and eyes Bellamy before turning on the TV.

* * *

It’s finally Christmas but at the Blake house it feels like any other December day. Bellamy has the radio turned to the local station playing Christmas music but it’s not the same without decorations or a tree or presents to open.

Still, like clockwork, Clarke shows up in the afternoon to spend the day with them. She’s carrying four bags which is four too many for Bellamy’s liking.

“Now the party can start,” Octavia shouts when Clarke deposits her bags on the kitchen table.

“Merry Christmas, Octavia,” Clarke says, enveloping her friend in a tight hug.

“Merry Christmas,” Octavia responds and hugs Clarke back.

When they pull apart she glances towards Bellamy who’s glaring at her bags. Bellamy can see things covered in wrapping paper and curled ribbon and it makes him irrationally angry.

“Merry Christmas, Bellamy,” Clarke says, still watching him watch her bags.

“Yeah,” Bellamy grunts.

“Bell!” Octavia shrieks, hands flying to her hips.

Bellamy turns his head at that and takes in his scandalized sister and a pissed off looking Clarke.

“Sorry. Merry Christmas, Clarke. Thanks for coming over,” Bellamy says with a forced smile.

She turns to look at Octavia and then Bellamy again and says, “Thanks for having me.”

Octavia grabs two of Clarke’s bags, Clarke grabbing the other two and they head to the living room. Bellamy guesses he should follow them because it’s Christmas and what not. When he gets there they have already emptied out the bags onto the coffee table. Clarke has her laptop open to Netflix, Frosty the Snowman queued up, and there are four presents waiting to be opened. Bellamy’s stomach churns as he sees Octavia eye the gifts with excitement.

“Look, Bell! Clarke brought a little tree,” Octavia says when she notices him standing behind them.

He hadn’t seen the potted Christmas tree or the Tupperware filled with all kinds of cookies and other holiday treats.

“Wow,” Bellamy says, coming around to sit on the floor in front of the coffee table. “I didn’t know they potted Christmas trees when they’re that small.”

“Me either,” Clarke says, running a finger over a branch. “I saw it in the grocery store and thought it was cute so I made my mom buy it.”

They all sit in silence for a minute before Clarke claps her hands and announces it’s time for presents.

“You go first, O,” Bellamy says with a nod in her direction.

“Don’t mind if I do,” she responds and lunges for a gift.

Bellamy and Clarke laugh at the same time, watching Octavia rip the wrapping paper off her present.

When she looks inside the box her mouth opens and Bellamy leans forward trying to see inside. Octavia whips her head towards Clarke.

“No you didn’t,” Octavia whispers.

“I hope that means you like it,” Clarke says with a smile.

“Of course I do! What the hell, how could I _not_ love this?”

“What is it?” Bellamy asks, unable to get a good look inside the box from where he’s sitting.

Octavia reaches inside and pulls out another box with a picture of a blow dryer on it. And it’s definitely not a cheap brand like the one she has now. Just from looking at the box Bellamy can tell that it’s good quality.

“Mine has been on the fritz for weeks now,” Octavia says, clutching the blow drier to her chest like it’s her baby.

Bellamy looks down at his lap. He knows it’s not an essential item but he feels so terrible that Octavia has to use crappy stuff because he can’t afford to buy her new things. When he looks back up Octavia is still cradling the blow drier with her eyes shut and a smile on her lips.

“Open the other one,” Clarke says, nudging Octavia.

She opens her eyes and reluctantly sets the blow drier on the table and reaches for the gift. She attacks it with the same enthusiasm she did the first and the resulting facial expression is even bigger than the last one.

“Holy shit,” Octavia mutters.

She pulls out another box, this time a picture of a curling iron on it. Octavia lifts the box over her head and sings the song from the Lion King at the top of her lungs. Clarke throws her head back laughing at Octavia’s terrible singing and Bellamy can’t help but smile.

“I need to go shower!” Octavia shouts suddenly, abandoning her song.

“O, don’t be rude. We have company over,” Bellamy says firmly.

“I have to see how these work! Plus Clarke needs to see how fantastic I look after using the gifts she so generously bough me,” Octavia argues.

Before Bellamy can get another word in Octavia pecks Clarke on the cheek and runs out of the room. He shakes his head and mutters under his breath.

“You should open your gifts,” Clarke says a few seconds later.

Bellamy looks at her with an eyebrow raised. He gets up from the floor and goes to sit on the other end of the couch.

“I don’t think Octavia said thank you but I’m sure she was thinking it. She just gets so excited and kind of forgets her manners,” Bellamy says, leaning forward on the couch.

“Her excitement is thanks enough. I wasn’t sure if she was going to like it or if she was going to think I was giving her charity or something,” Clarke says, unable to meet Bellamy’s gaze.

Bellamy’s eyebrows furrow. He’d felt the former but he didn’t think Clarke was aware of what her gifts might bring on.

“She told me that it’s been hard for you guys since your mom died. And I just wanted to give her something nice because she deserves it. You do too, by the way,” she says quietly.

He opens his mouth to say something. What that something is he has no idea because he can’t even get a sound out. Clarke finally looks at him and she gives him a small smile.

“Open them,” she says, nodding towards the two presents left on the table.

“If you insist,” he says and reaches for one.

 **_To: Bellamy_ **  
**_Thank you for letting me spend the Holidays with you and Octavia every year. Merry Christmas._ **  
**_From: Clarke_ **

He slips the tag off and places it on the table beside the gift. Then he carefully undoes the wrapping paper, unlike Octavia who literally ripped it to shreds. He opens the box and reaches beneath the tissue paper to reach a book.

He pulls it out, running his hand over the cover.

“ _Anthology of Classical Myth_ ,” he says quietly. “ _Primary Sources in Translation_.”

“It’s got maps and genealogical charts and timelines and of course the translations which I thought you might like” she says in one breath.

He flips through the book briefly, eyes catching on things he can’t wait to read. He closes the book and looks over at Clarke.

“How did you know that I liked this kind of stuff?” He asks, completely shocked.

“Well,” she looks down at her hands in her lap. “There’s always books about mythology or ancient civilizations or any kind of history lying around here and I know they aren’t Octavia’s so they must be yours.”

“Excellent deductive skills,” Bellamy says dryly. “Uh, thank you for this. I really appreciate it, I’m a bit obsessed with this stuff.”

“No problem. I ran it by Octavia to make sure you wouldn’t completely hate it and she actually gaged when I showed it to her,” Clarke says with a laugh.

Bellamy chuckles too and says, “Sounds like her.”

Their laughter dies down and they’re left just smiling at each other for a few seconds.

“Seriously, Clarke. Thank you for the gifts. I didn’t think I’d see Octavia smile so much on a Christmas where we didn’t have our mom, a tree and I couldn’t buy her gifts. But somehow you managed to completely make her day.”

“It’s the least I could do. You guys are so welcoming to me and nice even when I’m a pain in the ass so I might as well return the favour,” she says with a shrug.

Bellamy nods, eyes drifting back to his book. He can’t wait to immerse himself in more than 500 pages of mythological goodness. He catches sight of the time on his watch and turns back to Clarke.

“Shouldn’t you be getting home? I’m sure your parents want to spend Christmas with their daughter and have a nice meal and open presents.”

“We opened presents this morning,” Clarke replies. “And Octavia needs me more than they do right now. I made sure they understood that. They’re fine with me staying longer than I usually do on Christmas.”

“Wow, you’re pretty mature for a fifteen year old,” Bellamy says, pleasantly surprised with Clarke’s response.

“Yeah, way more mature than you,” she quips back.

Bellamy grins and pushes her shoulder and she rocks to the side before sitting upright again.

“Nice one. For a second I almost believed you,” he says with a smirk.

Clarke lets out a sarcastic laugh then grabs his other gift and drops it in his lap. After he’s opened it and marvelled at it for a few minutes he hears the shower turn on upstairs.

“Since you’re planning on overstaying your welcome,” Bellamy says wryly, getting off the couch and gathering the discarded wrapping paper. “Why don’t you help me make dinner while O pampers herself?”

Clarke leans back against the couch and lifts her feet up on to the coffee table. She lets out a sigh and crosses her hands behind her head.

“I’m a guest, Bellamy. Guests aren’t supposed to do _your_ house work,” she says faux-haughtily.

“Guest don’t spend every afternoon over here, Clarke. Now get your ass up, you’re on mashed potato duty.”

Clarke groans but gets up anyways and follows him to the kitchen.

“This is child labour!” She shouts at his back when they enter the kitchen.

Bellamy laughs and turns to hand her a peeler and a potato masher.

“C’mon, let’s see the Princess work,” he says once she’s taken the stuff from his hands.

She walks over to the counter where he already had potatoes laying out and starts peeling them.

“Best Christmas ever,” Bellamy says with a sigh, way too amused by the sight of Clarke peeling potatoes.

“Totally,” Clarke replies sarcastically.

* * *

Three years later, Octavia and Bellamy are in better shape than they were the year their mother died.

Octavia got into university, Clarke getting into the same one so naturally they decided to go to the same school. It’s just outside of their town, close enough to come home some weekends but far enough that commuting isn’t an option. Bellamy and Octavia had jumped around their kitchen when Octavia got her acceptance letter but their excitement was nothing like the day she got approved for financial aid.

Bellamy was so elated that he actually went out and bought a cake from the grocery store to celebrate. Clarke came over and she and Octavia spent the whole time looking up what courses they wanted to take, which electives they could take together and how they would set up their dorm room.

All Bellamy did was look over their shoulders at the screen of Clarke’s laptop and suggest they take all the history courses. And they of course refused every time with Octavia making fun of him every time he tried to entice them to take one.

Their excitement of going off to university together comes to a halt when Clarke’s dad dies right after graduation. Clarke ends up spending majority of the summer with Bellamy and Octavia doing everything except talking about her dad or how she’s feeling.

When the end of August comes around, Clarke has some of her excitement back. But she’s only happy because it means getting away from her mom who seems to be fine with ignoring Jake’s death.

They have the best time living together and being independent while Bellamy picks up extra shifts so he doesn’t have to be alone in the house for too long. Their absence in the house seriously affects him and he can’t wait until they have winter break and will be home for three weeks.

But he’ll never tell them that because he would never hear the end of it.

Octavia gets a ride back home with Clarke, gifts packed in the trunk. They drive straight to the Blake’s house since Clarke and her mom still aren’t on good terms. They tell Bellamy the wrong date of their arrival because Octavia wants to catch him off guard.

And that she does.

When Octavia uses her key to open the front door and walks in she spots Bellamy snoring on the couch and she shakes her head. Clarke comes in behind her, sees Bellamy and  
bursts out laughing.

“FIRE!” Octavia yells from the doorway to the living room.

Bellamy falls off the couch, slurring, “Fire? Where?”

Octavia and Clarke stand side by side and laugh their asses off and Bellamy’s head turns at the noise.

“What the fuck?” He says, eyes widening at the sight of them.

“Missed you too, big brother,” Octavia replies.

“Holy shit,” Bellamy exclaims, scrambling to get up off the floor.

He rushes over to them and pulls Octavia into a hug, squeezing her way too tight but he doesn’t care. Octavia hugs him back, huffing out a laugh.

“It’s good to see you,” he mumbles into her shoulder.

Octavia hums her agreement and they pull away from each other. Bellamy smiles at her for a moment before turning his attention to Clarke.

“Hey,” Bellamy says. “It’s good to see you too.”

Then he moves towards her and wraps his arms around her. Clarke freezes for a moment and makes eye contact with Octavia over his shoulder. Octavia just shrugs her shoulders and Clarke thinks what the hell and puts her arms around him, gripping the back of his sweater.

Bellamy pulls away slightly, arms loose around her, and smiles. Then he seems to realize that they’re hugging and they’ve never hugged before. This kind of affection is so foreign to them but Bellamy felt it was the right thing to do at the time. He lets his arms drop from around her and she does the same. Bellamy puts some space between them, hating how he feels so awkward and embarrassed over something that’s such a non-issue.

“So,” Bellamy says then clears his throat. “How were your exams?”

He looks between Octavia and Clarke and they are sporting identical expressions of weariness.

“That bad, huh?”

“You do not want to know how many all-nighters I pulled,” Octavia says with a sigh and then moves past Bellamy to flop down on the couch.

“You need sleep, Octavia,” Bellamy berates. “Especially when you have exams to write.”

“I tried to tell her,” Clarke says and Bellamy turns his head to look at her.

“But Octavia does what Octavia wants, right?” Bellamy asks.

Ignoring Octavia’s indignant “hey” from the couch, Clarke says, “Of course. All because someone spoiled her rotten growing up.”

Bellamy gasps at Clarke’s obvious allusion to him. How could he have spoiled her? They were poor, there was nothing to spoil her with. Clarke thinks she’s real funny, huh, he  
thinks.

“You’re one to talk, _Princess_ ,” Bellamy says, the words coming out harsher than he intended them to.

Her smirk turned into a frown in record time and Bellamy felt the back of his neck heat up. Even when he’s actively trying to not be an asshole he still manages to be an asshole.

“Clarke,” he whispers. “I didn’t mean it as a bad thing.”

She hadn’t been in a joking mood all summer after her dad died but he thought she was getting better. She was doubled over in laughter when he fell off the couch, she hugged him back and didn’t look like she was still upset. He should’ve known better. Octavia still isn’t fully over their mom dying and that was three years ago. It’s only been six months for Clarke, she’s obviously not feeling the greatest. Calling her princess and alluding to the fact that her parents gave her everything she wanted when her father just died was not one of Bellamy’s finest moments.

“It’s fine,” she replies, clearly not fine.

“I don’t want to upset you, Clarke. I’m sorry,” he says, moving towards her to place a hand on her shoulder.

She doesn’t shrug him off so that’s a small victory. But she doesn’t look him in the eye either so there’s that.

“Why would that upset me? You’ve been calling me princess since I was ten.”

“Because… You know,” Bellamy says but is unable to get the words out because he doesn’t want to upset her more.

Clarke looks at him then and he expects to see anger in her face and clenched fists like he usually does when he’s being an ass. Instead he sees tears well up in her eyes and her hands are shaking. Bellamy hears movement behind him but he can’t tear his eyes away from Clarke. He did this, he made her cry. He hasn’t made her cry since she was ten and he guilt tripped her into not looking at Christmas presents before Christmas. Now she’s eighteen and he’s done it again.

“Clarke, why don’t we go upstairs and set up a room for you, yeah?” Octavia says, shoving past Bellamy to put her arm around Clarke’s shoulder.

All Clarke can manage is a nod before Octavia guides her to the stairs. Bellamy watches them go with a frown on his face. Then he remembers something and calls out to them before they get upstairs.

“I set up my room for Clarke, the bed is comfier. I’m going to sleep in mom’s room,” he shouts, hoping they can hear him.

After a few beats of silence pass, Octavia shouts back, “Thanks, asshole.”

A few minutes later Bellamy hears the shower start and he knows that Octavia has forced Clarke into it to relax and refresh just like he did to Octavia in the past.

Seeing an opportunity to make things better Bellamy decides to go to the store and get everything he needs to make Clarke’s favourite meal for dinner.

When he gets back, grocery bag in each hand, he doesn’t hear the shower anymore but he knows that they’ll stay upstairs for a while. So Bellamy gets started, hoping the smell of food will make them come downstairs.

It does and Clarke actually smiles when she sees what he’s cooking. He’s in the middle of mashing potatoes, one of many side dishes Clarke’s in love with, when he feels two arms wrap around his middle. He turns his head slightly and sees a mess of blonde curls resting on his shoulder.

“You didn’t have to do this,” Clarke whispers into his t-shirt.

“It was my pleasure,” he says, feeling oddly warm. “Go watch some TV, I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

She hums and he can feel the vibrations on his back. She gives his abdomen a quick squeeze before she pulls away and goes to cuddle Octavia on the couch.

Bellamy gets back to the task at hand and can’t help smiling as he makes the rest of the meal.

* * *

Bellamy finds himself in the same position he was eight years ago. Him leaning against the door frame in the living room at night, Clarke under the tree with her gift almost opened.

“You’re still doing that crap?” He asks and she startles. “I thought you would’ve outgrown that like six years ago.”

“Fuck, can you stop doing that?” She says, getting out from under the tree and sitting in front of it.

“Can _you_ stop doing that?” He retorts.

She shoots him an icy glare and gets to her feet. Bellamy stands up straight, watching as she crosses her arms over her chest.

“I don’t do well with surprises,” she admits, looking down at her feet. “And I hate waiting and suspense and it’s all such bullshit.”

Bellamy doesn’t say anything. He knows Clarke and he knows that she’s not done and saying something right now would just piss her off.

“I like knowing what’s going to happen so I can adequately prepare, I don’t know why that’s such a crime to you,” she says, looking up at him with accusatory eyes.

“Who said I think it’s a crime?” He asks, genuinely confused. “You’re supposed to be surprised at Christmas, that’s why gifts are wrapped and kept a secret. Knowing what you’re  
getting beforehand ruins the fun and the anticipation makes opening them so much more exciting.”

“Yeah, well, surprises are not fun. Getting a surprise call at three in the afternoon that your dad was in a fucking car accident is not _fun_. Waiting for hours at the hospital while he’s in surgery just to find out he’s died is not _exciting_ , okay?”

Clarke’s chest is heaving and even in the semi-dark he can see tears leaking from her eyes. His heart physically aches at the sight, knowing too well what it feels like to lose a parent. But Bellamy never had the best relationship with his mom and Clarke’s dad was her best friend so he can’t imagine how much worse it is for her.

“Clarke,” he says, voice cracking.

The sound of her name spurs her into action and she runs towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck while she sobs into where his shoulder meets his neck. Bellamy’s had to comfort Octavia numerous times in her eighteen years but this is somehow different. Clarke usually goes to Octavia with this stuff so he doesn’t know how to make her feel better but he desperately wants to.

He hugs her back, clutching her to his chest, trying to show her that she’s safe with him and he’s here for her. He brings one hand up to run through her hair knowing how much that calmed Octavia down.

“Let it all out, Clarke,” he whispers, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

They stand there for a while, Bellamy cradling Clarke’s head and humming songs while her sobs slow down. By the time she’s calmed down and the tears have stopped, Bellamy reckons that they must have spent at least twenty minutes embraced.

“I’m sorry that I just unloaded on you with no warning,” Clarke says with a watery laugh.

She doesn’t make a move to end the hug so neither does he. Bellamy moves his hand from her head to her back and rubs soft, soothing circles.

“It’s okay. I’m used to people dumping their loads onto me,” he responds.

“Dirty,” Clarke quips which causes Bellamy to chuckle and she can feel the sound vibrate through his body due to their proximity.

“Only you,” he says fondly.

Clarke pulls away after that, timid smile gracing her lips. Bellamy does the same and puts his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants while she wipes her face.

“I think I’m going to go to bed,” she says with a nod like she has to convince herself.

“Let me get you some water first. You need to hydrate,” Bellamy replies.

She follows him to the kitchen where he pours water into a tall glass for her. She leans against the counter and watches him put two ice cubes in just how she likes it.

“Thanks,” she says when he hands it to her.

“No problem,” he responds, smiling at her. “Now get to bed. It’s late.”

Clarke gives him a mock salute and smiles before turning towards the stairs.

Bellamy likes to pretend he doesn’t watch her as she walks away but she can feel his eyes on her back the entire time.

* * *

Next Christmas finds Bellamy once again hosting the holidays even though Octavia and Clarke have their own off campus apartment that they could’ve all spent time at. But no, Bellamy has to go buy a tree and all the groceries for Christmas dinner (and the hundreds of other meals they’ll be having over the break).

This year though, Bellamy has created a plan that will hopefully scare Clarke from ever snooping under the Christmas tree again.

When they arrive Bellamy already has his gifts for each of them wrapped and under the tree. When they get a moment alone Bellamy tells Octavia to not put Clarke’s present under the tree until Christmas morning and to trust him. Octavia is scared by the mischievous glint in his eye but agrees because she’s a fabulous sister.

On Christmas eve all three of them head upstairs at the same time and go into their respective bedrooms to sleep. Bellamy gets ready for bed in order to not raise suspicion but he doesn’t actually go to sleep.

At around midnight Bellamy hears a door down the hall creak open. Once Octavia hits her pillow she is out cold for the rest of the night so it’s show time. When the tell-tale  
creaking of the stairs he opens his own door slowly and follows Clarke downstairs.

He can’t help the smile that takes up permanent residence on his face once she gets under the tree. She finds her present from him quickly as if she memorized where it was among all the other gifts. Clarke unwraps the gift painstakingly slow and Bellamy is anxious for her to actually open the box.

She finally has the wrapping paper off without ripping or bending a single inch of it. _She’s way too good at this_ , Bellamy thinks. He focuses his attention back on Clarke right as she lifts the lid of the box off and boom! strings of confetti pop out and hit Clarke in the face. She screams and loses her grip on the box causing Bellamy to explode with laughter.

“Bellamy!” Clarke yells, picking confetti out of her hair.

He steps into the room, still laughing like a maniac.

“You booby trapped my fucking present?” She shouts, standing up so quickly that Bellamy almost gets light headed from watching.

“Yes I booby trapped the present because you do this every fucking year, Clarke!” He shouts back as she marches towards him.

“You are such an ass,” she says, grabbing a clump of confetti out of her hair and throwing it in his face.

“C’mon, Clarke. You know you want to laugh,” Bellamy sings, brushing some strands off her shoulder.

He sees her lips quiver and for a second he’s terrified that she’s going to cry but then she’s laughing and he lets out a breath.

“You think you’re so clever,” Clarke states in between laughs. “Just wait, I’m going to get you back so bad.”

“Don’t start a war you can’t finish,” Bellamy responds, choosing to smirk instead of continuing to laugh with her.

“Oh, I _always_ finish. Even if I have to do all the work myself,” Clarke says and it’s impossible to miss the innuendo.

Bellamy is speechless for a minute and Clarke chooses that moment to make her exit.

“See you in the morning, Bell,” she calls over her shoulder.

Bellamy’s head turns in her direction and she winks at him before she reaches the stairs. His jaw drops of its own accord and he’s left standing in the dim glow of the Christmas  
tree while she giggles all the way up the stairs and to her his room.

* * *

Bellamy wakes up from a fitful sleep to the smell of coffee brewing from downstairs. He’s up in an instant, putting on sweatpants and a t-shirt before grabbing Clarke’s real present from the back of his mom’s closet.

When he comes downstairs, Clarke and Octavia are already sitting in front of the tree with their mugs, a third one on the coffee table for Bellamy.

“Morning,” he says as he walks into the room.

Octavia turns her head to smile at him and then she says, “Did you guys hear screaming last night or was I dreaming?”

“I didn’t hear anything,” Clarke replies with a shake of her head.

“Yeah, must’ve been a dream, O,” Bellamy responds.

If Clarke isn’t going to tell Octavia then he sure as hell isn’t. Octavia would probably strangle him because he could’ve given a heart attack and he’s an asshole and an idiot and  
blah blah blah.

Knowing Octavia has probably been dying to open her gifts (she’s nineteen not nine, for god’s sake), he holds out Clarke’s gift in front of her face for her to grab.

“Might as well get started,” he says once she’s taken it from him and he goes to sit on the couch.

Clarke opens this gift with the same slowness that she opened her fake one with last night. She keeps shooting him glances every couple of seconds like she’s expecting another  
booby trap. Bellamy’s not _that_ rude that he’d give her two fake gifts that are booby trapped.

Once she opens the box and realizes that nothing is going to attack her, she pulls out what he bought for her. She stares at it for a minute with no visible reaction and Bellamy starts to think that he screwed up royally. He lets his eyes drift over to Octavia who is watching Clarke with the same worried expression that he is. Octavia knows what the gift is, he asked for her approval last month.

Just when Bellamy starts to think of ways to escape this painfully awkward situation, Clarke puts the gift down and looks at him with tears in her eyes. Then she’s suddenly on her feet and jumping on him, hugging him with a death grip. The force of her hug makes him fall back on the couch so she’s lying on top of him and crying.

“You’re the best,” she says when she pulls away to look at him.

“So you like it?” He asks and she nods eagerly. “I wasn’t sure if it was good enough for an art connoisseur like you but you always talked about how you got your love of art from your dad so I thought why not have someone put you two in the medium you guys both love.”

Clarke just stares at him for a minute, brilliant smile lighting up her whole face. Then her eyes dart down to his lips for a second and Bellamy’s eyes widen. Unable to control himself, his shifts his gaze to look at her lips and immediately looks back up at her eyes because why does he do this to himself. _So inappropriate_ , he thinks, mentally berating himself.

Clarke coughs once and moves off of him and back on the floor where she had put the painting of her and her dad. Bellamy slowly sits up, head spinning and heart pounding.

Octavia, sensing the awkward tension in the air, says, “o-kay, let’s see what you losers got me this year.”

Bellamy and Clarke both let out shaky laughs at the same time, their eyes meeting over Octavia’s head as she reaches for a present.

* * *

That night Clarke finds him in the kitchen. Octavia went to bed an hour ago, claiming she was dead tired even though it was only ten o’clock. Bellamy suspects she’s trying to give Bellamy alone time with Clarke and he’s pretty embarrassed.

“Hey,” she says as she enters the kitchen.

He nods his hello and takes a sip of his drink.

“Want some eggnog? Well, it’s more rum than it is eggnog but,” he trails off, looking down at his cup.

“You’d serve me alcohol even though I’m underage? What happened to responsible, by the book Bellamy?” She asks with a smirk and comes to stand across from him on the other  
side of the island.

“You’re legal in Canada,” he says as an excuse.

“Hate to break it to you, but we don’t live in Canada.”

Bellamy turns away from her and gets her a glass from the cabinet. He sets it down on the counter and pours his concoction, filling the glass to the brim.

“You want it or not?” He asks, unamused look on his face.

“Yes, please,” she replies quickly, grabbing the glass from him once he offers it.

They drink in silence for a few minutes, both content to just sit in each other’s company. With one look, Bellamy can tell that Clarke has something on her mind that she wants to talk about. But he doesn’t ask because she needs to be able to start conversations even if they’re difficult ones.

“Hey, Bellamy?”

He looks up from his drink and says, “Yeah?”

“I don’t know if I said this earlier but thank you for that gift. You have no idea how much it means to me,” she says

“You’re welcome,” Bellamy responds. “You deserve it.”

“I don’t know how I got so lucky as to have you and Octavia as my best friends. You guys are so good to me. You let me practically live here after my dad died and when we were younger Octavia always invited me over because she knew how lonely I was at home. And now here we are, all adults, still being there for each other and you guys are still great to me. I’m just so glad to call you both my best friends,” she confesses.

“I can’t speak for Octavia,” he says with a wry grin, “but you’re my best friend too. And I wouldn’t have it any other way, Princess.”

Clarke laughs and moves from the other side of the island to come lean on the counter beside him. They drink their eggnog with their shoulders touching and Bellamy’s eyes keep drifting to her face. He can’t believe he’s here, with Clarke, the biggest pain in his ass, and telling her for the first time that she’s the best friend he has. When she defend Octavia all those years ago on the playground, he never expected her to become a permanent fixture in his life or be his favourite person in the world, second only to Octavia.  
He’s been staring for way too long, lost in thought, and before he can look away and regain some dignity, Clarke turns her head and catches him staring. She gives him a small smile and he tries to move his muscles to smile but he has no idea if it works because he’s so embarrassed.

Bellamy unconsciously lets his gaze fall to her lips, wet from the eggnog, and his brain goes into a frenzy. He chances a glance at her eyes and finds her looking back at him.  
Somehow they gravitate towards each other, both glasses being deposited onto the counter. Bellamy opens his mouth to say something but no words come out. He’s never been this close to Clarke and it’s making things very hazy. He feels something graze his hand and he looks down to find Clarke’s fingers hesitantly hovering near his. In a moment of confidence he takes her hand and intertwines their fingers, electricity running from the point of contact up his entire arm. Just as they’re about to meet in the middle, Octavia barges into the kitchen.

The shock has Bellamy and Clarke jumping apart, putting distance between them. Octavia walks straight to the fridge, eyes half closed and she chugs half the carton of chocolate milk. She’s completely ignorant to the fact that her brother and best friend are there and blushing. Once she’s done with the milk she leaves the kitchen without a glance at them.

Bellamy and Clarke turn to look at each other and burst out laughing.

“She is one weird girl,” Clarke manages to get out, one hand clutching her stomach as she laughs.

“You’re telling me,” Bellamy responds with a shake of his head, shooting Clarke a grin.

* * *

Octavia and Clarke host a New Year’s Eve a week later at their apartment for some of their school friends. They invite Bellamy mostly because he’s the only one old enough to buy booze and he’s a hermit so if he wasn’t invited he’d ring in the new year alone.

Bellamy spends the beginning of the night being introduced to their friends and trying to get involved in conversations with those friends but ultimately just wanting to spend the night with Clarke talking about anything and everything.

He manages a few interesting conversations with Clarke’s friend Monty and gets into a debate with Clarke and Octavia’s neighbour/mechanic/classmate Raven. Still, he extricates himself from those conversations and finds Clarke just before midnight. Octavia is passing around champagne in plastic flutes and they get theirs last as they're standing on the outskirts of the group.

Bellamy tries not to get his hopes up when he sees the way Clarke’s face brightens when he comes to stand beside her but it’s really hard when she’s looking at him like that.

“I can’t believe you’re still out here mingling and not somewhere reading. It’s a New Year’s Eve miracle!” She exclaims and Bellamy is unsure if she’s tipsy or just happy.

Octavia’s whistle cuts through the noise in the apartment and she announces that they’re starting the countdown. Bellamy notices everyone in the room starting to pair off and he realizes that you’re supposed to kiss someone at midnight. His cheeks burn when he sees that he’s the only one near Clarke and she’s not one to buck tradition so that means they’re going to kiss. He didn’t prepare for this. He should’ve prepared for this. He doesn’t want his first kiss with Clarke to be a onetime thing they did because of some stupid New Year’s Eve tradition. _Fuck it_ , he thinks, _you might never get this chance again_.

When they reach 15 on their countdown Bellamy turns to Clarke.

“Clarke, you know how you said you don’t like surprises?” He asks frantically, watching the numbers get smaller and smaller.

“Yeah,” she replies, eyebrows furrowing, trying to figure out his point.

“Well, I’m going to kiss you at midnight. Okay?”

Before she can open her mouth and say something they reach one and everyone in the apartment shouts “happy new year” and he leans down to press a chaste kiss to Clarke’s mouth.

When her lips stay still against his, Bellamy pulls back and looks at his feet, feeling incredibly stupid and presumptuous.

“I knew I wasn’t imagining it,” she says after a minute of silence.

His head snaps up to look at her. She’s grinning, eyes closed and he's so confused. She didn’t kiss him back, didn't even touch him when it happened so why is she smiling like the cat that caught the canary? She opens her eyes then and and sighs.

“Took you long enough, for a second I thought you actually weren’t interested in me,” Clarke says, laughing after at his dumbstruck expression.

Her hands come up to rest on his shoulders and she steps into his personal space, pressing her body flush against his.

“I’m definitely interested,” he chokes out, hands automatically going to her waist. "Have been interested for a while."

“Good,” she whispers, looking into his eyes, smile firmly placed on her lips.

“Yeah?” He asks, sort of not believing that this is happening.

She leans up, one hand travelling to the back of his neck. Her fingers wrap around the curls there and she pulls him closer. He surges forward and captures her lip between his. This time she reciprocates and he's flying. He couldn't care less that he's making out in front of a bunch of strangers and his sister because _finally_. But Bellamy pulls back slowly, already missing the weight of her lips against his. He needs to hear it in words in order for him to be sure.

"So," he says, voice hoarse. "Does this mean you want to... You know."

He looks down and huffs out a breath.

"Is this a romantic thing? Because I really want it to be more than just something physical. I want to hold your hand and go places with you and call you whenever I want without feeling weird because you might not what to actually talk to me and I just really like you," He gets out in one breath.

When he looks up again Clarke is grinning like an idiot. Bellamy takes that as a good sign and smiles back at her.

"You're an idiot. Of course I want it to be a romantic thing!" She says, craning her neck to kiss his blush coloured cheek.

"That's..." he trails off. "I'd like that, too."

"Good," she says again, fingers slowly running through his hair, causing him to shiver.

"Good," he echoes and leans down to kiss her again because why not?

She moves her lips against his immediately, small whimper escaping her when he licks into her mouth. He smiles at that, feeling smug that he caused that reaction. Clarke feels the upturn  of his lips against hers and can't help the smile that makes its way onto her own lips. She presses closer to him, feels him all -

A throat clears from beside them and they both jump at the noise, turning their heads to look at the source.

"Could you guys keep the vertical sex to a minimum, please," Octavia asks dryly with her hands on her hips. 

Bellamy can see the slightest upturn of her lip and it causes a smile of his own to light up his face.

"Sorry, O, we'll take it down a notch," he replies, arms tightening around Clarke.

"Yeah, sorry, O," Clarke says and turns her head to press a soft kiss against Bellamy's jaw.

He looks down at her at the contact and his smile softens, wondering how he got so lucky.

"You guys are so cute, it's fucking disgusting," Octavia says and pretends to gag as she walks away from them.

Bellamy and Clarke laugh as Octavia flips them off over her shoulder before downing one of the leftover glasses of champagne. Bellamy turns his attention back to Clarke and presses a quick kiss to her closed lips. 

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of doing that," he mumbles, resting his forehead against hers.

"Then you should make sure to do it at every opportunity," she suggests.

"Yes, darling," he drawls. "We should probably get back to the party. You're being a bad hostess."

"Yeah, well someone keeps distracting me with his incredibly soft lips and dark, romantic eyes," she says with a smirk, gaze returning to his lips.

"My apologies. Go, be with your friends. You can find me later, we've got all the time in the world," he responds and she surges up to kiss him.

When she pulls away she says, "We've got time."

Bellamy hums in response, hands moving up and down her sides. She moves away from him then, dropping her hands to her sides reluctantly. 

"I'll be in your room, okay? Probably reading, or sleeping. Either way, I'll see you later," he says and she nods in agreement.

Clarke turns away from him and walks back into the crowd of people, immediately joining the conversation like she'd been there the whole time. Bellamy watches her for a minute, small smile playing on his lips at the dream-like quality of this whole night. She turns her head slightly in his direction, sensing his gaze on her. Clarke smiles and then winks at him suggestively before turning back to her friends.

Bellamy laughs to himself, wondering how the hell he ended up here, the taste of Clarke still on his lips when ten years ago he thought she was nothing more than a spoiled brat who he wished would stop coming over to his house. He thanks his lucky stars and leaves the room before anyone can notice that he's creepily staring at Clarke while tears well up in his eyes.

And if he ends up falling asleep with one of Clarke's pillow clutched to his chest, breathing in her scent, nobody has to know. 

Except Clarke knows because that's how she finds him a couple hours later and she will tease him about it for the rest of his life.


End file.
